menon1971

Do French men have a fear that their womenfolk will drink too much if they are in charge of their own portions or do these women just not trust themselves?

Most of the VA hams have saltpeter, and the evidence we relied on to replicate 18th century hams also used saltpeter. Is that what kills lysteria or does salt kill everything due to dehydration?

I dig. I like more cumin than most chili blends provide. Veg-all is an unfortunate blend - not all too unfamiliar to school cafeterias, and who needs a 10" saute pan, a 10" saucier, and a 10" skillet in one set. However, I am digging the mammoth bag of herbs de Provence that my ladyfriend imported to me from her last trip to her motherland.

At the museum we never got the smoking environment above 100F, preferring around 80F. Smithfield Foods has HUGE temperature controlled rooms with bins full of hams packed in salt. Earth tone molds good, electric yellow, orange and red molds bad. I had to sneak up on one ham just to remove it from the smokehouse. A memory that stays with me.............

Thanks, very informative thread.

I begin this thread with a disclaimer. This will be followed by a shameful confession of ignorance and then a series of questions. The disclaimer is that I am from Virginia, about 30 minutes from the town of Smithfield, and have a somewhat mystical reverence concerning this treat of my up bringing, smoky, fatty, salty Virginia ham. In fact, while working my way through graduate school, I used to occasionally butcher hogs and cure hams at a certain large living history museum. Now for the confession. I recently finished Jacques Pepin's The Apprentice and in the section where he describes his awakening to American foodstuffs he mentions eating raw Virginia ham and seeing it as an American equivalent to the cured hams of France, Spain, Italy, etc. I enjoy Serrano, Prosciutto, Bayonne, etc. which I believe are all raw hams, and would to like give raw Virginia ham a try if it is safe and advisable, from a culinary standpoint. However, I have never seen such a thing done in the Old Dominion and do not know if this is a matter of tradition or necessity. The questions are as follows: 1. Is it safe to eat? 2. Is it good to eat? 3. If the answers one and two are yes, then under what circumstances is it safest and best? Should the hams be soaked, as in a more traditional preparation? If so, for how long and in what? What dishes would be well served by its addition?

Or our culinary traditions for that matter. Food in 18th century America was quite different from industrial America, and the amount of alcohol consumed (including a lot of wine, especially Madeira) in the former was staggering, no pun intended.

I am not big into vodka, but Luksusowa is distinctive and underrated.

I think Bourdain was simply the Executive Chef at the NY stores. I believe he did some training elsewhere, but for the most part I get the impression that he has little influence on Les Halles now. The restaurants are owned by two other individuals.

Had some recently with beef Stroganoff - a taste from my childhood.

source for this quoteI rather like this phrase: our ethnic heterogeneity ← I agree, although I retain my proclivities.

I did.

You're not going to bring up Foucault again, are you? ← I am cracking up right now, because I once again took myself too seriously. However, I like the jazz analogy because through its diversity we see the spectrum of American culture and American food. Scotch and milk anyone?

What is American culture? Is there some vaguely universal aesthetic?

We are talking about two different things. I was not speaking to the culinary culture of Phoenix. I was refering back to the last line in his blog, where he asks if anyone in Phoenix (chef-wise) wanted to be like Olivier Roellinger. ← Culinary culture of Phoenix, i.e., tradition and terrior, or in Phoenix, i.e., what food fashions have been imported?

I got the impression from some natives in Phoenix that they take great pride in their restaurants that serve "real" Mexican food. The place I really wanted to try was called Frank and Lupe's, but the cab ride was going to be $80 from my hotel. This is another difference between much of the U.S. and Europe: more centralized populations and more reliance on public transportation in the latter even in smaller communities, although I hear that this is changing - I am sure that the evolution of society and of food culture has a lot to due with terrior and its context within technological systems such as transportation, preservation, horticulture, etc. As Busboy alluded, there was no concept such as "flown in daily" when much of European food was evolving to its present albeit polymorphous state. Additionally, the list given by molto e (not a personal criticism, by the way) reflects some of the bias alluded to by Tim, that Euro is fine dining, even in Phoenix.

I feel the point that Howard was trying to make is that Phoenix is the 5th largest city in the country and it does have a lack of chef driven concepts. That is not to say that Phoenix does not have some chefs that deliver on a national level. A few examples of chefs that deliver the goods would be: Chef Kevin Binkley of Binkley's Restaurant Chef Nobuo Fukuda of Sea Saw ("Best New Chef"- Food and Wine Magazine, 2-time James Beard Finalist "Best Chef Southwest") Chef Chris Bianco of Bianco's Pizzeria (James Beard "Best Chef Southwest, named Best Pizza in the country..ask Oprah) Chef Bradford Thompson of Mary Elaine's (James Beard "Best Chef Southwest" , "Best New Chef"- Food and Wine Magazine) Chef Brian Lewis of Vu Restaurant Just to name a few... ← I heard good things about Vu, and wanted to go to Bianco's, but everyone I spoke to said that a two hour wait is customary. Phoenix is daunting in size..........

I saw some sample menus while in Phoenix that looked quite interesting. However, I am a when in Rome kind of guy and wanted good Southwestern food. Sadly without transportation from the hotel my dining was less than stellar. I did try menudo for the first time, though.

If you insist. Do you believe that where someone graduated from indicates merit? Have you never heard of a legacy? Capital trumps talent usually, and profit is mistaken for merit more often that not. Who is wealthier/more talented Pepin or Ray? Hawkings or Gates? Willem Defoe or Paris Hilton?

We fancy ourselves a meritocracy, but there's a strong anti-intellectual streak in the USA. Those that are "too smart" are sometimes seen as more elitist than the wealthy. Being a "gourmet" is the food equivalent of the ivory tower academic or the pointy-headed intellectual. ← " We fancy ourselves a meritocracy, but there's a strong anti-intellectual streak in the USA. " How do you figure? Looking at the most successful Americans, across the board from differing backgrounds, it seems that those individuals who are smart enough (or have the intelligence, if you prefer) to figure out how to do anything that is worthwhile faster, better and cheaper, are rewarded. Please expound. Bash The Cheesecake Factory or MicroSoft or IBM or YouTube or "pick your successful American politician here" or PizzaHut or DELL or Apple or Bennigans or EBay or Starbucks or etc. You can bash them all you like. But don't you wish you had thought of it first? And weren't they great ideas? And doesn't it require a great intellect to come up with an idea that the whole world will buy into? And how were those great ideas from great intellects not rewarded? That is, if I understand the concept of a meritocracy. Edit: Forgot Google, but YouTube - sheesh... ← It seems that you confuse profit with merit, and cleverness with intellect. ← Oh I LOVE IT! Didn't even have an opportunity to pull the brilliant little Redenbacker pack out of the plastic sleeve and slip it into the microwave. Meritocracy. Let's see what that means: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/meritocracy mer·i·toc·ra·cy Pronunciation (mr-tkr-s) n. pl. mer·i·toc·ra·cies 1. A system in which advancement is based on individual ability or achievement. 2. a. A group of leaders or officeholders selected on the basis of individual ability or achievement. b. Leadership by such a group. Now Merit: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/merit mer·it Pronunciation (mrt) n. 1. a. Superior quality or worth; excellence: a proposal of some merit; an ill-advised plan without merit. b. A quality deserving praise or approval; virtue: a store having the merit of being open late. 2. Demonstrated ability or achievement: promotions based on merit alone. 3. An aspect of character or behavior deserving approval or disapproval. Often used in the plural: judging people according to their merits. 4. Christianity Spiritual credit granted for good works. Then there is profit: prof·it Pronunciation (prft) n. 1. An advantageous gain or return; benefit. 2. The return received on a business undertaking after all operating expenses have been met. 3. a. The return received on an investment after all charges have been paid. Often used in the plural. b. The rate of increase in the net worth of a business enterprise in a given accounting period. c. Income received from investments or property. d. The amount received for a commodity or service in excess of the original cost. I must pause here, because I cannot understand how you can have a meritocracy without rewarding merit. Profit is a reward, and certainly it is a means of advancement. Surely you are not suggesting that businesses that have bad ideas get profits in the US I could really go on and on explaining how those definitions support one another, but then I would seem pretentious and pedantic. The dreaded "P" words. Oh, cleverness and intellect are confused. I couldn't possibly look up clever and intelligent in a dictionary. http://www.thefreedictionary.com/cleverness clev·er Pronunciation (klvr) adj. clev·er·er, clev·er·est 1. Mentally quick and original; bright. 2. Nimble with the hands or body; dexterous. 3. Exhibiting quick-wittedness: a clever story. 4. New England Easily managed; docile: "Oxen must be pretty clever to be bossed around the way they are" Dialect Notes. 5. New England Affable but not especially smart. 6. Chiefly Southern U.S. Good-natured; amiable. See Regional Note at ugly. Now, intellect: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/intellect in·tel·lect Pronunciation (ntl-kt) n. 1. a. The ability to learn and reason; the capacity for knowledge and understanding. b. The ability to think abstractly or profoundly. See Synonyms at mind. 2. A person of great intellectual ability. Then, there is "intelligence": http://www.thefreedictionary.com/intelligence in·tel·li·gence Pronunciation (n-tl-jns) n. 1. a. The capacity to acquire and apply knowledge. b. The faculty of thought and reason. c. Superior powers of mind. See Synonyms at mind. The only thing I can figure out, is that you must be from New England if you have trouble with this one. Now, I must go open up that clever bag of popcorn, and toss it into my cleverly constructed microwave, so that I may eat and sit back. Yes, I do think I am quite clever right now. I do love French Food, if not for Julia Child and the Gallopping Gourmet, I would have ever wasted away shriveled and dying in the barren American land of grits and pork otherwise. Julia was very clever - I loved it when she had a wink. ← I think you just proved my point.

We fancy ourselves a meritocracy, but there's a strong anti-intellectual streak in the USA. Those that are "too smart" are sometimes seen as more elitist than the wealthy. Being a "gourmet" is the food equivalent of the ivory tower academic or the pointy-headed intellectual. ← " We fancy ourselves a meritocracy, but there's a strong anti-intellectual streak in the USA. " How do you figure? Looking at the most successful Americans, across the board from differing backgrounds, it seems that those individuals who are smart enough (or have the intelligence, if you prefer) to figure out how to do anything that is worthwhile faster, better and cheaper, are rewarded. Please expound.[...] ← I think that the life and times of Adlai Stevenson, the "egghead" who therefore couldn't be elected President, constitutes the clearest example of anti-intellectual bias among the American populus. Also, consider the fact that Francois Mitterand, President of France, considered himself a writer first and a politician second. Could anyone like that be conceivable as President of the United States? ← Nice point. How about Vaclav Havel?

We fancy ourselves a meritocracy, but there's a strong anti-intellectual streak in the USA. Those that are "too smart" are sometimes seen as more elitist than the wealthy. Being a "gourmet" is the food equivalent of the ivory tower academic or the pointy-headed intellectual. ← " We fancy ourselves a meritocracy, but there's a strong anti-intellectual streak in the USA. " How do you figure? Looking at the most successful Americans, across the board from differing backgrounds, it seems that those individuals who are smart enough (or have the intelligence, if you prefer) to figure out how to do anything that is worthwhile faster, better and cheaper, are rewarded. Please expound. Bash The Cheesecake Factory or MicroSoft or IBM or YouTube or "pick your successful American politician here" or PizzaHut or DELL or Apple or Bennigans or EBay or Starbucks or etc. You can bash them all you like. But don't you wish you had thought of it first? And weren't they great ideas? And doesn't it require a great intellect to come up with an idea that the whole world will buy into? And how were those great ideas from great intellects not rewarded? That is, if I understand the concept of a meritocracy. Edit: Forgot Google, but YouTube - sheesh... ← It seems that you confuse profit with merit, and cleverness with intellect.

Thanks! I'm having a lot of fun trying new things. ← Can I get an amen?! (I mean that in a multi-denominational/secular way)

Not specifically, no. Maybe greater intellectual talent? We fancy ourselves a meritocracy, but there's a strong anti-intellectual streak in the USA. Those that are "too smart" are sometimes seen as more elitist than the wealthy. Being a "gourmet" is the food equivalent of the ivory tower academic or the pointy-headed intellectual. Busboy chastised me for causing that earlier today. I'll give you a hand out if you need it. ← I have to agree with you, although biased because I reside in a proletarian version of the ivory tower. My major peeve is why some of us must apologize for trying to experience things, food in this case, in a way that is intellectually and aesthetically engaged? If it make me a snoot because I am curious about the unfamiliar and appreciate folks who provide me with food that they take pride in, then so be it. I also like the tenor of the previously discussed quote: we should try to affirm and value the best of all food cultures.

How about with jerk paste. You can then grill it, or even easier, roast in the oven at 375F. Here is my recipie for the paste: Wet Ingredients 5-6 Scotch Bonnets or 2-3 Habenero, roughly chopped (stem removed with core and most seeds) 10 scallions, roughly chopped juice of one lemon 4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme (leaves only) - or 1 1/2 Tbs. Dried thyme 2 tsp. olive oil 5 oz. Raisins (3/4 cup) - or other dried fruit like apricot Dry Ingredients 1 tsp. paprika ½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg ½ tsp ground ginger (1 tsp. if fresh) ½ tsp. cinnamon 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1 Tbs. whole allspice (heated in skillet and then ground in a mortar and pestle, spice grinder or coffee grinder) 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. granulated garlic 2 tsp. dried onion Just mix it all together and rub it on.